The Meaning of 1 Samuel 17:39 Explained

1 Samuel 17:39

KJV: And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

YLT: And David girded his sword above his long robe, and beginneth to go, for he hath not tried it; and David saith unto Saul, 'I am not able to go with these, for I had not tried;' and David turneth them aside from off him.

Darby: And David girded his sword upon his dress, and endeavoured to go; for he had not yet tried it. And David said to Saul, I cannot go in these; for I have never tried them. And David put them off him.

ASV: And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  girded  his sword  upon his armour,  and he assayed  to go;  for he had not proved  [it]. And David  said  unto Saul,  I cannot  go  with these; for I have not proved  [them]. And David  put  them off him. 

What does 1 Samuel 17:39 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 17:31-40 - David Trusts His Former Deliverer
David was conducted into Saul's presence-his soul aglow with heroic faith-avowing that he was willing to go alone to fight the Philistine. Saul, however, had no thought of power save that which comes from long practice, 1 Samuel 17:33, or from helmets and coats of mail, 1 Samuel 17:38-39; so he endeavored to dissuade the stripling. It was no small temptation to David to take a lower ground and retreat from his offer. Let us never listen to flesh and blood! They always say to us, after the manner of Peter at Caesarea Philippi, when our Lord spoke of His crucifixion and death, "This shall not be unto thee; spare thyself." See Matthew 16:22.
The point of David's narrative of his encounter with the lion and the bear was entirely lost on Saul. The king regarded these exploits as solely the result of superior agility and sinewy strength. He did not fathom David's meaning when the lad ascribed his success to the direct interposition of Jehovah, 1 Samuel 17:37. Already the underlying note of Psalms 27:1-14 may have been haunting the young psalmist's soul. Saul had no idea that faith opens new sources of power, touches new stops in the great organ, and accomplishes alliance with the Almighty. See Psalms 20:7-8. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 17

1  The armies of the Israelites and Philistines being ready to battle
4  Goliath challenges a combat
12  David, sent by his father to visit his brothers, takes the challenge
28  Eliab chides him
30  He is brought to Saul
32  shows the reason of his confidence
38  and slays the giant
55  Saul takes notice of David

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 17:39 mean?

And fastened David - his sword on to his armor and tried to walk for not he had tested [them] and said to Saul cannot I walk with these not I have tested [them] so took them off
וַיַּחְגֹּ֣ר דָּוִ֣ד אֶת־ חַ֠רְבּוֹ מֵעַ֨ל לְמַדָּ֜יו וַיֹּ֣אֶל לָלֶכֶת֮ כִּ֣י לֹֽא־ נִסָּה֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֶל־ שָׁא֗וּל לֹ֥א אוּכַ֛ל לָלֶ֥כֶת בָּאֵ֖לֶּה לֹ֣א נִסִּ֑יתִי וַיְסִרֵ֥ם מֵעָלָֽיו

וַיַּחְגֹּ֣ר  And  fastened 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָגַר  
Sense: to gird, gird on, gird oneself, put on a belt.
דָּוִ֣ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
חַ֠רְבּוֹ  his  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
לְמַדָּ֜יו  to  his  armor 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַד  
Sense: measure, cloth garment.
וַיֹּ֣אֶל  and  tried 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָאַל  
Sense: to begin, make a beginning, show willingness, undertake to do, be pleased, be determined.
לָלֶכֶת֮  to  walk 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
נִסָּה֒  he  had  tested  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָסָה  
Sense: to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שָׁא֗וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
לֹ֥א  cannot 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
לָלֶ֥כֶת  walk 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בָּאֵ֖לֶּה  with  these 
Parse: Preposition-b, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
נִסִּ֑יתִי  I  have  tested  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָסָה  
Sense: to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test.
וַיְסִרֵ֥ם  so  took  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
מֵעָלָֽיו  off 
Parse: Preposition-m, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.

What are the major concepts related to 1 Samuel 17:39?

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